Making Mole Sauce is not for the faint of heart in the kitchen, but if you want the satisfaction of a job well done and some really good Mexican food, make a batch when you have a little time. You may even want to share your hard work and give some as gifts. artistinresidencehome.com

I have always wanted to make a Chicken Mole and Enchiladas with Mole Sauce. I feel like I’ve made every version of chicken there is but this one was still waiting to grace my kitchen.

I’ve heard that there’s chocolate in it which was intriguing enough, but I knew there were some recipes with a long list of ingredients that I wondered if I was going to be able to find a recipe that was still authentic enough for me to make it.

There are 4 chilies in this sauce. I can’t take much heat, and I didn’t know hoe hot any of these chilies were except chipotle which I can handle just fine. I think the Pasilla Chilies nearly blew my head off so make sure you taste and get some chile advice on which ones and how much to use to suit your taste.

I adapted this recipe foodrepublic.com after looking at quite a few. I love a good challenge and boy was this one, but it really came down to being organized and knowing what’s coming next.My advice is to read the recipe at least 2 times before starting and then read it again. There are too many ingredients and steps to not be sure of what your doing when you get started. Its all about timing and prep.This mole recipe is for the cook who is comfortable in the kitchen and has tackled a difficult recipe or two before.

Tips before embarking on this adventure:

1.Have all ingredients measured and ready to go

2. Invest in a splatter screen. This sauce like to bubble.

3. Clean as you go

4. Make this the day before you’re going to make Chicken Mole or Black Bean Enchiladas

Directions

Step 1

Set the oven or toaster oven to broil and preheat. Alternatively, you can preheat the oven to 500°F. If you’re using the oven broiler, position the rack 8 inches from the heat source.

Step 2

Core the tomato and cut a small “X” through the skin on the opposite end. Roast the tomato, cored side up, and tomatillos on a foil-lined pan, turning the tomatillos over once halfway through, until their tops and bottoms have blackened and they are a khaki-green color and cooked to the core, 20 to 30 minutes

Step 3

and the tomato (without turning) until its top is blackened and it’s cooked to the core, 20 to 30 minutes total. Slip the skin off the tomato.

Step 4

Meanwhile, heat a comal, griddle, or heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and roast the onion and garlic on the comal, turning the garlic over occasionally, until it is just tender and golden brown with some blackened spots, 8 to 10 minutes

Step 5

and carefully turning the onion slice over once, until it’s softened and charred on both sides, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 6

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat until it simmers. Fry the chiles, a few of the same variety at a time, turning them over with tongs, until puffed and slightly changed in color, 30 to 45 seconds per batch of mulato and ancho chiles, 45 seconds to 1 minute for pasilla chiles, and about 11/2 minutes for chipotle meco chiles. As the chiles are fried, transfer them to a large bowl. When all the chiles are fried, add enough cold water to cover them and let them soak for 30 minutes. Discard the remaining oil from frying the chiles and set the skillet aside.

Step 7

Using tongs, hold the tortilla directly over a burner set to medium, turning it over frequently, until it’s dark, golden brown, and some burned spots appear on both sides. Crumble it into the soaking fried chiles.

Step 8

Have ready a medium bowl and a metal sieve set over a small heatproof bowl.

Step 9

Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of oil in the reserved skillet over medium heat until it shimmers and fry the following ingredients one by one. As they’re fried, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the medium bowl (for ingredients that are difficult to scoop, empty the contents of the skillet into the sieve to drain first, then return the oil to the skillet and put the fried ingredient into the medium bowl).

Step 10

Fry the almonds, stirring, until they are golden, about 2 minutes.

Step 11

Fry the pumpkin seeds, stirring, until they are puffed and only slightly browned, about 1 minute.

Step 12

Fry the raisins, stirring, until they are puffed, about 1 minute.

Step 13

Fry the bread, turning over once, until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes.

Step 14

Fry the plantain slices, turning over once, until golden, about 3 minutes.

Step 15

Transfer the remaining oil (2 to 4 tablespoons) in the skillet to a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot and set aside.

Step 16

Wipe the skillet clean and heat it over medium heat until it’s hot. Toast 3 tablespoons of the reserved chile seeds (save the remainder for another use) in the skillet, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chile seeds to the medium bowl. Toast the sesame seeds, canela, cloves, aniseed, coriander, allspice, and peppercorns in the skillet, stirring, until the sesame seeds are a shade darker, about 11/2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the medium bowl.

Step 17

Drain the chiles and discard the soaking water, and puree them in the blender jar with about 2 cups of the stock.

Step 18

Heat the reserved oil in the pot over medium heat until hot, then add the chile puree and cook (use a splatter screen so the sauce doesn’t make a mess of the stove), stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Step 19

Meanwhile, working in 2 batches, combine the fried and toasted ingredients (from the medium bowl) with the roasted tomato, tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the blender jar, along with 2 more cups of the stock per batch, and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes per batch. Be careful when you’re blending hot ingredients: Cover the top with a towel, and hold the top firmly in place with your hand. Add the mixture to the chile puree in the pot as you blend it, and once you’re done, swish a little liquid around in the blender and add it to the pot.

Step 20

Add the chocolate, sugar, and salt to the mole, stirring until the chocolate melts. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and adding more stock as needed to maintain a velvety consistency that thickly coats a wooden spoon, but isn’t gloppy, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with additional sugar and salt.

Step 21

At this point you would add cooked chicken or turkey to the mole, reduce the heat to low, and cook until it’s just heated through, 15 to 20 minutes.